If you are interested in a field which involves applying psychological knowledge to work with people in legal settings, consider the 60 hour Master of Arts degree in Forensic Psychology. This program has a strong clinical focus, and will prepare students to obtain the Licensed Professional Counselor credential, which will allow them to engage in assessment and counseling in a variety of forensic settings such as prisons, juvenile detention facilities, child protective agencies, and private forensic practice groups.

If your educational goal is to pursue a doctoral degree in Forensic psychology, then the Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology provides a valuable foundation toward that pursuit.

UHV’s M.A. program in Forensic Psychology requires undergraduate coursework in Statistics, Research Methods, and Abnormal Psychology as prerequisites to the Forensic Psychology program. Program curriculum can be broken into three parts: core classes, Forensic Psychology concentration requirements, and practicum requirements.

Common Core (30 semester hours)

PSYC 6321 Advanced Abnormal Psychology

PSYC 6326 Advanced Research Methods

PSYC 6330 Life-Span Developmental Psychology

PSYC 6331 Multicultural Psychotherapy

PSYC 6332 Advanced Social Psychology

PSYC 6333 Ethics and Practice of Psychology

PSYC 6334 Theories & Issues in Psychotherapy

PSYC 6335 Techniques of Psychotherapy

PSYC 6336 Introduction to Assessment

PSYC 6337 Advanced Assessment

Concentration Requirements (21 semester hours)

PSYC 6319 Vocational Psychology and Career Counseling

PSYC 6338 Group Psychotherapy

PSYC 6339 Theory and Techniques of Family Therapy

PSYC 6343 Advanced Forensic Psychology

CRIJ 6330 Advanced Criminology

PSYC 6399 Selected Topics in Forensic Psychology

PSYC 6327 Assessment for Forensic Psychology

9 semester hours of PSYC 6304 Practicum in Forensic Psychology

Admissions Requirements

Admission to the counseling psychology, forensic psychology or school psychology program is based on an evaluation by the program's admission committee of the following information.

A 1-2 page essay that states the applicant's reasons for applying to the program and the applicant's career goals.

Evidence of having completed undergraduate or graduate courses in statistics, research, and abnormal psychology. A particular course will be waived as a requirement if the student passes a comprehensive final or its equivalent for the designated course with a grade of C or better. The exam may be taken no more than once for a particular course.

Graduate Admissions Index of 1400/980 or higher. For more information click here.

For more information about UHV's Forensic Psychology program, please contactDr. Paul Hamilton, Program Director at hamiltonp@uhv.edu.